jump to summer!

Oh dear, we just celebrated Independence Day aka 4th of July and I last posted late May! Okay, what’s my excuse? Some extended travel, community involvement, playing Grandma, an art class, lots of gardening and cooking, knitting projects, a few sick days. Gosh, how did I ever find time to work before retirement! 😉

The highlight was a trip to Portland, Oregon with its never ending food and drink delights, and the bonus of hanging with my first grand child. We drove to the quaint coastal town of Astoria to enjoy the first day of summer with a fish and chips lunch from a locally famous joint. Just-caught albacore is beer-battered and fried to order; you just decide if you want 3 or 5 pieces and pick out a canned drink at the bottom of the ramp. Called the Bowpicker (those were small boats that used to fish the channels; fishermen picked the catch out of the net gathered in at the bow of the boat), it’s a one-woman fry kitchen in the boat cabin with one or two helpers to serve, take your cash-only and keep the area tidy. It was a beautiful sunny Father’s Day so the line was long. Delicious! Worth the wait and the sunburn! ENJOY SUMMER!